The Phantom of the Movie
by Jazzola
Summary: The gang run into a mystery on the set of a film. Has an actor from the original film come back from the dead? F/D, rated T to be safe. Part of my series, best read as part of it. Woo, self insert! Guess my character!
1. Chapter 1

Daphne smoothed down her long red curls in the rear-view mirror, her huge make-up case in one hand and a compact full of foundation in the other.

Fred glanced over as she patted down her hair for the twentieth time since the last exit and sighed.

"Daphne, you look fine. Stop fussing!"

Velma stifled giggles as she looked at the annoyed expression on Daphne's face.

"It's not every day you're invited to a film set, Freddy! And I heard that Jasmine French will be there…"

Daphne's face, before simply glowing with excitement, took on a new radiance.

Velma looked confused.

"Who's Jasmine French?"

"An actress and singer. She was on a British talent show and won it, then made it big. She's only fifteen, but this is her third movie…"

Daphne was still burbling about Jasmine French as Fred drew up outside the Monstrous Movies Co. set being used for the filming.

Shaggy and Scooby peeked out from the back.

"Like, are we there?"

Velma sighed.

"Yes, guys, we're there!"

"As guests of honour," sighed Daphne. "They might even ask us to try some acting… How cool would that be, being in a film alongside Jasmine French…"

Fred grimaced. Velma gave him a sideways look and he focused back on the road quickly.

Daphne leaned over and pushed up a small section of her boyfriend's collar.

"Freddy, at least make yourself look presentable!"

Fred had a small coughing fit as they got out that Velma guessed might have been an attempt at muffling laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, so you're the famous Mystery Inc.!"

Fred smiled at the recognition. Daphne preened and flashed the man a dazzling smile. He didn't seem to notice, but Fred did; as they walked over to the main part of the set, where filming was currently in progress, he made sure to step on her shoe hard.

The man talked as he walked.

"I'm Charlie Ridley, the director. You know about the plot of the film, I guess?"

Shaggy shook his head.

"No? OK. It all starts when a girl called Ruby goes on holiday in this area with her father- the area of Corrupted Beach, a deserted beach-like area rumoured to be the home of Inferi, which are dead bodies enchanted to serve a master or mistress. Ruby meets a young man, called Oz, who has been corrupted and turned into an Inferi King. He controls hundreds of Inferi. Oz corrupts Ruby as well, making her his Inferi Queen as she falls in love with him. But four cops and a dog- loosely based on Mystery Inc.- are there as well, having just enrolled at the local police station. They take up the mystery slash case- the same night as the newly-corrupted Ruby kills her father when he finds out what she has done. She leaves his body in the hotel, with just enough heart left not to make his corpse an Inferi too, and joins Oz permanently. But the cops find out what's going on, and they find a way to destroy an Inferi Master. One night, Ruby leaves Oz briefly, to find out what the police are saying about her father's death. The group of cops find the hideout the pair are sharing, and they kill Oz. When Ruby returns, Oz is dead and one of the Inferi servants tells her the story. Ruby swears revenge on the cops, as well as finding a way of bringing Oz back. The cops return when they find out that Ruby is still alive and at large, and eventually, without Oz and with her power as an Inferi Queen broken by the cops, Ruby throws herself into the sea and kills herself. Our lead actress, Jasmine French-" Daphne gave a squeak of excitement- "is currently filming with the actor playing Oz, Alex Richman. He's quite well known in these parts, a real rising star. Jasmine's playing Ruby, who is named for her red hair- so, naturally, Jasmine was the actress of choice, being a natural teenage redhead."

Daphne smiled. Velma chuckled inwardly; she had a good idea that Daphne was imagining herself as an extra for superstar Jasmine French.

"Anyway, you'll want to go and watch the filming, I guess."

The gang agreed, and quietly crept into the room.

A stunningly beautiful girl wearing a blood-red cat suit and a strange, equally blood-red talisman on her neck was walking slowly round a room made to look like some sort of cave. Daphne stifled her squeal of excitement this time.

"So, Oz. If I did accept this- invitation- would you be transferring your powers to me or what? I need a good idea of what you wish, before I become _that _corrupted."

The handsome young man playing Oz reached out and tickled the redhead's chin. Now Daphne snuck a sideways glance at Fred. He was staring at the gorgeous actress, his mouth slightly open. Daphne reached over one leg and stamped hard on his foot, but in doing so unbalanced herself with the result that she fell into a stack of scripts and tape reels.

BANG CRASH BANG.

A very embarrassed Daphne untangled herself from the stack of scripts while half the filming crew doubled over with laughter and the actress and actor looked over and abandoned their roles, laughing with the crew.

Fred limped over, his own cheeks red, and helped her out and up. Velma couldn't help thinking that was pretty nice of him, since she had very sharp heels on those shoes and his shoes weren't exactly thick leather.

"Thanks and sorry, Freddy," Daphne muttered, glancing at the young male actor, who grinned at her. The girl walked over and Daphne immediately smoothed her hair down.

"Who're you?"

Daphne looked extremely embarrassed now.

"Um, sorry if we ruined that take…"

The girl smiled. "Don't worry about it. One, that was a welcome break from the monotony of filming. Two, that take was about to go wrong, as Alex forgot his lines just as you fell."

The male actor sitting on the fake rock grinned sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd noticed, Jasmine," he said, looking cuter than ever despite the fake scars dotted about his face.

Daphne quickly held out her hand. "Daphne Blake, and we're Mystery Inc."

She gestured towards the others, who walked forwards.

"Mystery Inc.! Oh my goodness, I don't believe it!"

The young actress' face broke into a broad grin at the sight of the group. Her blue eyes crinkled a little, making her look almost Chinese, and she hurried forwards.

"You're Fred Jones?" she asked, a little twinkle in her eye. Daphne's eyes narrowed as she watched her heroine shake hands with her boyfriend.

"Even better in real life! And Velma Dinkley, oh, I was a huge fan as a kid, still am… Shaggy Rogers! I always loved your interviews. And Scooby!"

With a huge smile on her face, Jasmine bent down (no easy feat in the skin-tight cat suit) and started stroking Scooby's back and neck, scratching him between the ears as well. Scooby arched his neck up, enjoying her attention and stroking.

Daphne intervened, and Velma grinned as she deliberately stepped between Jasmine and Fred.

"So, what's happening now?"

"Good question," Jasmine said, smiling. She turned to the director and called the question down to him.

"Uh, we need you to wrap this one up today, Jasmine, especially as I think the seams on that cat suit won't stand you putting them on again."

Jasmine grinned.

"Fair enough, Mr Ridley."

She stopped stroking Scooby and walked back to the set, tottering slightly in the bright red high heels.

"These are hell, Mr Ridley! Couldn't we have a break?"

She motioned to the shoes. He sighed.

"I know you're no fan of the shoes, Jasmine. Just a few more takes, we're almost there. Marcia, could you top up Jasmine's make-up, it's a little smudged."

A skinny dark-haired woman walked over with a make-up bag to rival Daphne's in one hand and a mascara stick in the other. When she'd finished, the actors took their places again.

"And… action!"


	3. Chapter 3

After a long day of filming, Alex and Jasmine gave each other a Hollywood-style kiss and headed away. Daphne looked much happier as she heard Alex say, "We'll meet up tomorrow, Jasmine, and you have my number. See you, gorgeous."

Then another film-star kiss. Velma giggled and glanced at Shaggy, who was shaking his head.

"You never got into the romance thing, did you, Shaggy?"

He shook his head, looking horrified.

"Like, no thanks, Velmster!"

Velma laughed and the gang departed for the canteen.

To the gang's surprise, after a few minutes, Jasmine turned up in the canteen, wearing an old, crumpled T-shirt and baggy jeans, and carrying a small bag with "FAMOUS FOR MY KISSES" written on it. Also to their surprise, hardly anyone reacted to her appearance, with just a few nods in her direction and the odd "Filming go OK?" from people.

Jasmine took a seat at a nearby table with a few other girls on it, none as pretty as the actress even in her mucky clothes but all looking completely at ease in her company and gossiping like normal girls, even though Jasmine was anything but. The only mention of the film was when one girl commented on Jasmine in the skin-tight cat suit she'd worn earlier. Jasmine told her the seams were gone and the girls started laughing together and swapping money. Apparently they'd had some kind of bet as to when the suit would finally give out.

When she'd finished, she walked over to the gang and told them, "I'll be playing the hostess and taking you guys to the trailers you're in after dinner, but right now I need to go to a quick meeting with Mr Ridley. If you guys could go to the editing room when you've finished, I'll take you along. I don't mind, I just wish Mr Ridley would let me do more for you."

She left after the gang thanked her and headed for the editing room.

It was quite a while until the gang were finished, due to Shaggy and Scooby cleaning out the canteen completely. They found Jasmine outside the editing room immersed in a British newspaper.

"What kept you guys? You were ages, the meeting was finished over an hour ago… Anyway, doesn't matter. We've got three trailers for you; all of them sleep two people. One's for Fred, one's for Shaggy and Scooby and one's for Velma and Daphne. Is that OK? They all have two single beds, except Fred's, which has got a double."

They followed her out to the trailer park, which was full of gleaming aluminium trailers. Jasmine's was clearly marked by a neon star on the door. Daphne whistled at it and Jasmine grinned.

"Actually, I bought the star. It was £5 at a car boot sale in England!"

The gang laughed and Jasmine pointed to the three trailers opposite.

"Hope you don't mind the location, but they were the only three available and we weren't going to banish our VIP guests to a hotel."

Daphne shook her head, smiling.

"I'm sure we'll be just fine."

She switched on her most dazzling smile for Jasmine, clearly trying to impress the actress. Jasmine giggled and went into her trailer without another word.


	4. Chapter 4

"Like, this is the life, Scoob!"

Shaggy lay back on a plump sofa and let his legs fall onto the thickly carpeted floor, sighing.

"Like, these Hollywood people really know how to live… Like, is there a fridge, Scoob?"

"Reah, reah!"

Scooby walked over to the minifridge in the corner. It swung open as he pressed the button on the front and they both gasped as it revealed a full booty…

Unfortunately, ten minutes later, all that remained of the fridge's contents was a bin-full of wrappers and pots.

Shaggy sighed and picked lazily at his teeth with an ice lolly stick.

"Like, that was real good, Scoob, but, like, I'm still hungry and we cleaned the fridge out. Like, the canteen should still be open…"

There was a gleam in canine and human eye alike now.

"Like, as we're VIP guests, I'm sure the cooks won't mind if we have a food raid in the canteen!"

Both walked over to the door, careful not to make too much noise as they did, and walked out in the direction of the canteen.

The moon was a slither in the sky, barely illuminating anything, and a couple of the lamps lighting the area were on the blink, but the trailer park didn't seem that creepy as they walked through it.

Shaggy started rhapsodizing about what he'd eat in the canteen.

"And like, a few Dutch pastries and some maple syrup on them, like, some fruit, like, and a box of fries, and like, maybe some of that mud cake they had earlier…"

Scooby licked his lips and drooled a little as Shaggy carried on with his rendition.

"Like, what kinds of bread d'you think film stars… eat…"

"Rot's rong, Raggy?"

Shaggy pointed wordlessly to a small recess filled with rubbish bins.

Behind them stood a tall man, dressed in black rags, with blood-red eyes and skeletal limbs.

"You will never remake my greatest film… You will never be allowed…"

"ZOINKS!"

"RIKES!"

The pair turned and screamed towards the trailers from which they'd come.


	5. Chapter 5

Fred stretched out on the double bed. _Better digs than we normally get visiting places, _he thought, remembering a few of the places they'd stayed in over the years. He turned over and watched the shadow of Alex Richman turning his light out.

_I guess I should get some sleep too._

Fred slid over to the lamp next to the bed, which did a pretty good job of lighting the whole trailer with its over-bright bulb, and switched it off.

He was slowly drifting off to sleep, listening to the sounds of the trailer park and soft pop music coming from the trailer with the neon star…

"ZOINKS!"

"RIKES!"

He was startled awake by Shaggy and Scooby banging on the aluminium door of the trailer.

"Like, Freddy, LET US IN OR IT'LL GET US!"

Fred yanked the door open and Shaggy and Scooby rushed past him into the trailer and into the bed, hiding beneath the cover. It was a few seconds before Fred realised they were in the trailer, they had run in so fast.

"Like, there was… a creature… it said it would get us… it said it wouldn't allow us to re-make its greatest movie…"

Fred walked over and lifted up the cover. Scooby peeked out from underneath it, trembling from head to paw.

"So, what happened, Scooby?"

"Re rere roing ro ra ranreen, rand ra roast rame rout, rand rit raid rit rouldn't ret rus remake rits reatest rovie…"

"You were going to the canteen, and a ghost came out, and it said it wouldn't let you remake its greatest move?"

"Reah, reah!"

Fred sighed as he pushed a book onto the little table next to the bed.

_There goes our peaceful trip…_

He pushed back a section of the cover and stroked Scooby's back, trying to calm the Great Dane down.

"Calm down, it was probably an actor trying out his lines, seeing if he was scary enough…"


	6. Chapter 6

"That was no actor you saw last night."

"Like, we knew it!"

Shaggy and Scooby nodded at Fred, who sighed and stifled a laugh. Mr Ridley also looked over, with no particular expression on his face. Then he looked back to Shaggy and Scooby, his expression sombre.

"What you saw was the ghost of Drew Rossmann."

Shaggy and Scooby gulped in unison.

"Drew Rossmann was the original Oz- the plot and characters were mainly taken from an old film called _Haunts from Corrupted Beach_. We re-wrote the script and did some adjustments- the original was brought out as a celebration of sound being added to films. Obviously, the characters modelled on you were brought in on the new script as in the old film the crazy local voodoo-busters did all that sort of stuff. Not exactly Hollywood material nowadays. But Drew Rossmann always said that if anyone tried to make a new version of _Haunts from Corrupted Beach_, his finest film, he would stop them."

Velma had been listening in amazement. Jasmine, who had walked over to see what all the fuss was, looked equally astonished.

"Mr Ridley. I'm amazed at you! There is no scientific proof at all that ghosts even exist. There is no way this Drew Rossmann could have come back as a ghost. Not even to defend his finest film's honour! Anyway, we're making sure his film's not forgotten; if we don't bring out _Inferi Beach_ then Drew Rossmann's old film would be lost to the ages."

Fred nodded, looking relieved that someone else appeared to be talking sense.

"Then, like, Jasmine, what did me and Scoob see last night?"

Jasmine shrugged.

"Maybe what you saw was, like Freddy said, an actor or actress trying out a costume and seeing how scary they were?"

"Then, like, how did he have glowing red eyes without CGI?"

Jasmine smiled.

"Contacts… I have to wear them for some parts of the film. They glow when they catch even the slightest bit of light, and around here they're not exactly few and far between. I suggest you ask around, Mr Ridley, as people should really have their minds on their work rather than playing around."

She turned with a disdainful look on her face and walked back to her trailer.

Alex walked up and looked curiously at the director.

"What's all this about Drew Rossmann?"

"His ghost appears to have come back."

Alex sucked his breath in. "My brother's a huge fan; he told me about the legend. He's a stagehand, you know, Nick Richman?"

"Yeah. He tried to get a job as an actor, but he's not very good at acting."

"Actually, it all started because Drew Rossmann is buried on my father's land. It's been in the family for generations; Drew chose to be buried in the field he played in with his little brother as a kid. That's how Nick got keen. Anyway, I'd better go and check Jasmine's script, I forgot my own…"

He walked after his actress girlfriend, and then turned back.

"Oh, and Mr Ridley? My red contacts have gone missing for some reason- could you get me a new pair made?"

Fred's and Velma's eyes narrowed in unison.

"Will do, Alex."

Alex gave him a joke salute and walked away. Daphne also turned with a look of finality, but Mr Ridley stopped her.

"You kids… Well, you solve mysteries about ghosts, right? Well, erm, I think I'll have to get you lot onto this. We'll hold our horses until there's another sighting, but I think we're going to need your help."

The gang nodded and followed him through into the set.

"OK… In this scene, Ruby falls over the edge of a cliff to prove to Akhrit, who's a young man Oz corrupted several years ago, that as an Inferi Queen she really is immortal and unable to die."

"Like, how does she die at the end, then?" Shaggy asked, looking confused.

"At the end of the film, the team of cops fighting Ruby and Oz break Ruby's power as an Inferi Queen, so she has no immortality, yeah?"

Shaggy nodded, looking mollified, and Mr Ridley sat down with a friendly smile at Shaggy.

"OK, Jasmine, I know you hate this bit… When you're ready."

Jasmine nodded and stepped back towards the edge of the platform, putting one hand out to pick up a safety harness hanging from the side of the platform. She gulped, sounding a bit like Shaggy and Scooby. There was fear etched on her face as she glanced down over the edge, and she shuddered.

Suddenly there was a low, evil-sounding laugh from the platform, and a figure appeared.

"ZOINKS! LIKE, IT'S THE PHANTOM!"

The figure on the platform laughed, Jasmine screamed as it advanced, and Velma realised with a jolt that Jasmine wasn't yet wearing the safety harness she had to wear to jump off the platform…

The phantom reached out, as just as its rotted fingers made contact with Jasmine's skin it raised his hood and two red eyes gleamed out of the dark face beneath.

"Do not say I did not warn you… Abandon this film or you shall suffer my wrath…"

It pushed and Jasmine screamed again as she fell, luckily onto the safety mat, and the phantom gave an evil laugh and vanished.

"JASMINE!"

Mr Ridley hurried forwards as Jasmine lay still and silent on the safety mat.

"Jasmine, open your eyes, talk to me, come on, Jasmine, TALK!"

Jasmine opened one eye and groaned.

"Mr Ridley, please stop shouting in my face."

"Sorry!"

The director moved back a little and Jasmine sat up groggily.

"Don't EVER make me do that again…"

She stood up on the mat and a few members of the film crew cheered. Jasmine shot them a cheeky grin and walked off the mat, miraculously unhurt except for a few bruises and a bit of shellshock.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Daphne said as Jasmine walked over. Jasmine smiled at her.

"Thanks for your concern. But I'm sure you know the "damsel in distress" feeling?"

They laughed together and even Fred grinned.

"Oh, Jasmine…"

Mr Ridley sounded half-amused, half-exasperated. He recovered himself and put his hand on her slim arm.

"Well, we need to get this filmed, but first I want Security to do a sweep of the set and the area around it and find the perpetrator, if there is one."

Fred nodded. "We should have a look around, too. We are meant to be in the mystery-solving business, after all."

Velma chuckled. "Freddy's right, let's look around."

Jasmine nodded and gingerly touched a large bruise blooming on her elbow. "I think this'll need a little powder to cover it up, plus my general appearance is ruined. I'll detour to Marcia."

She walked over to the dark-haired woman waiting in the wings of the set, behind the sound engineer, who ogled Jasmine as she walked over. The actress gave him a nasty look and walked a little way away with Marcia.

A/N: Have you figured out who the self insert character is? If not, take a closer look at my alias name, and the names of the characters. I'm not saying that's my real name, but it's definitely close. Comment and I'll say if you're right, although it's kind of obvious.


	7. Chapter 7

Fred decided the gang should really stay together this time, as the set was so small and there was safety in numbers, plus Shaggy and Scooby insisted point-blank they weren't going to split up this time, and they headed down to the area of the trailer park where Shaggy and Scooby had seen the ghost the night before.

"Are you sure you saw him here?" Velma asked sceptically as they looked round the rubbish bins.

"Like, yeah! With his eyes all red and glowing and with his limbs all skeletal…"

Shaggy shivered. Next to him, Scooby gave a little whine.

"Goodness, guys, pull yourselves together! What could possibly happen to you on a movie set?"

"Like, I bet that's what Jasmine French thought this morning, and then that happened!"

"Oh brother," Velma muttered, pulling the lid off a rubbish bin and peering in.

Fred looked round the back. "Just a brick wall here," he muttered to himself. "Unless there's a secret panel…"

His fingers brushed something on the wall which was definitely not brick. He pulled his finger away sharply; a thrill went up his arm as though an electric charge had gone through it. Shaking his arm, he tried to get a closer look, but it was in shadow. He reached up to push a rubbish bin out of the way, and his arm jolted something on the wall…

"Argh!"

The ground literally flipped over, taking Fred with it.

The sharp exclamation made the others look over.

"Like, where'd Freddy go?" Shaggy gasped, leaning over the spot where his friend had disappeared.

"Freddy!" Daphne called, also looking over the spot where her boyfriend had vanished.

Velma walked over from the other side of the rubbish bin area, and started brushing her hands around the area as well. Her fingers caught the iron rod Fred's had and the same odd thrill went up her arm.

"Agh!"

She pulled her fingers away from it, and then spotted a lever next to it. She pushed it and the ground where Fred had been crouched turned over, exposing an identical second side.

"That's the answer to that little mystery," Velma said, turning it over again. Her arm caught the little metal rod next to it and the shock went up her arm. She sucked her breath in and turned back to the others.

"OK, let's go back to the set. It doesn't look like it's safe to go down there after him, for him or for us. We'll have to tell them what happened, and then we can search the set for him and for any clues."


	8. Chapter 8

Fred picked himself up. He could hear voices but when he called back there was no sign that anybody had heard.

He looked round. The room had no furniture in it except for something that looked like a man-trap in the corner, set and ready. He shuddered and skirted round it as he looked for a way out. If the phantom had used this as a way to suddenly pop up in the rubbish bin area, there had to be some kind of tunnel or ladder out.

There weren't any obvious levers or escape routes or anything from what he could see through the gloom, but Fred kept looking.

Suddenly the wall opened and his jaw dropped.

Standing there was the phantom in all its gory wonder.

Fred flattened himself against the wall, trying to move away as the phantom advanced on him.

"You will be a warning to all who foolishly try to continue with this film… A sign that this is a fool's errand. You will be the caution, the sign to make them stop…"

Fred tried not to show his terror as he attempted to escape the creature's clutches and move away from it.

"Stop resisting, foolish boy… You cannot escape from this room, and you never will…"

"But I'm not a part of the film! I'm only a guest! I only watch them making it."

"Maybe so. But you will suffice as a warning."

The phantom laughed and its red eyes narrowed. Fred tried to force the thing's hands off his arms, but with no joy. The phantom had a grip like a vice.

"You will never leave. I am no special effect…"

It threw Fred against the wall with considerably more force than he would have expected from a phantom. His head banged against the wall and something else, something sharp, and he fell, his legs buckling under his body and his eyes closed.

The creature stood over Fred for a minute, gazing down into his blank face, watching a trickle of blood slide down his forehead and become a scarlet pool on the floor.

And as the thing walked away through the wall, its eyes seemed to glow red more than ever.


	9. Chapter 9

"Missing?"

Jasmine's light blue eyes widened as she repeated the word.

"Are there any secret passages or anything that you know of under the set or in the general area?"

Jasmine considered.

"There were rumours of something… One of the special effects crew members, Chuck Dresden, said he found something. He said it was some kind of tunnel under the set, but everyone thought he was making it up or just being silly. Maybe you should go talk to Chuck."

She pointed to a heavily-built man in stained dungarees on the other side of the set.

"That's Chuck."

Velma walked over towards Chuck, whose eyes widened rather like Jasmine's as he clocked the gorgeous young actress.

"Hello, Ms French, what can I do for you?"

Jasmine raised her eyebrows.

"Actually, it was Velma here who wanted a word with you."

She pushed Velma forward with one slender arm and Velma looked up at Chuck, a little nervous due to the man's size.

"Uh, we were told you'd found some kind of secret passage?"

"Yeah," Chuck replied, his face brightening. "Behind old Ridley's office, as well! He has no idea, course. I'll show you if you want."

Velma nodded. "That would be good if you could."

Chuck abandoned the Inferi suit he was working on and started walking towards the exit. The gang-minus-one and Jasmine followed him, but as they reached the door Mr Ridley called Jasmine back.

"Aw, damn… You guys will have to go on without me, I'm sorry."

Velma smiled at the actress. "Don't worry, we'll keep you informed." She had discovered that Jasmine was almost as keen on a mystery as they were, and that she was pretty good at putting two and two together.

The others set off with Chuck at the head of the little procession.

Chuck opened a storeroom door and the group crowded in.

"The entrance is there, behind the candy machine prop."

Shaggy and Scooby's eyes widened as they saw the candy machine, filled with all sorts of brightly-wrapped, sugar-coated candy and with a lever to extract it…

Shaggy pushed the lever hard and a rain of candy rattled onto the tray. Both boy and dog picked up the candy in both hands and made to swallow it. Chuck saw them and grimaced.

"Uh, you two might wanna spit that out…"

Shaggy and Scooby didn't hear him; their mouths bulged considerably as they stuffed candy into them.

"Like, YUCK!"

Shaggy spat the candy out into a corner and gob-coated candy splattered everywhere. Scooby next to him spat his out with a "ph-tooey!" into the same place.

Chuck laughed heartily as Shaggy and Scooby swallowed the nasty taste, making faces.

"I did warn you guys… That candy is fake."

Shaggy made a face worthy of Frankenstein.

"Like, man!"

The large man laughed again and wiped his greasy hands on his already mucky dungarees. He reached out and pushed on a wall panel marked "HERE" in rough writing.

"I marked it out," Chuck explained as Velma clocked the writing.

A large portion of the wall slid sideways into a cavity, and Chuck smiled and walked into the gloom of the room inside. He pulled a torch out of his dungaree pocket and lit it, pointing it at the ground in front of his feet. Slowly, the rest of the group followed suit, being careful of where to step; at one point they had all screamed, even Velma, as the torch had lit up a set man-trap.

"Like, ZOINKS!" Shaggy yelled suddenly.

Velma jumped about a foot in the air, and then turned to Shaggy, visibly shaking.

"What? Did you step in a man-trap?"

"No, like- LOOK!"

Chuck's torch had suddenly lit up a horrible figure with glowing red eyes and rotted limbs, flesh drooping off its sunken face, horribly human-like yet horrifically, dreadfully altered.

"I warn you, fools… Leave your lost, he is gone forever. He will never return. You must go back, you have no choice. Leave or you will all fall into sunken graves before the day is out."

He turned and walked out of the torch-beam. Daphne looked straight at Velma, her eyes widened with fright.

"He is gone forever… Freddy…"

Velma reached out with one hand and put it on Daphne's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Daph, we'll find him. This ghost is a phoney, plus Freddy isn't an actor or part of the filming crew."

Daphne nodded, but still looked very freaked out.

Chuck was staring at the place where the ghost had stood.

"Hold on… Those were lines from Oz's part in _Haunts from Corrupted Beach_. They were used in _Inferi Beach _too, but still…"

Velma was also looking thoughtful, but for a different reason. She remembered Alex Richman reciting those lines earlier, and somehow the ghost had reminded her of more than just those words…

The small party carried on, eventually reaching a wall with a panel like the one in the storeroom that Chuck had pushed.

"These are commonly used on movie sets, especially for movies like this one," Chuck said, pressing the panel.

The room was dark except for a faint square of light from the ceiling, as though there was some kind of panel there. Chuck swerved the torchlight around the room. It lit up an object in one corner- another man-trap- and in the opposite corner, a flash of white.

"Freddy!"

Daphne immediately ran over to the corner, despite Velma's warning to stay with the group. Chuck followed, the torch out in front of him.

Fred's eyes were closed as the gang got closer to him. Daphne slapped his cheek lightly, whispering in his ear, trying to wake him up. Chuck knelt down next to Daphne, his flashlight on Fred's face. There was a thick cut on his forehead, which was ugly and all too obvious in the harsh light from the flashlight. A little blood trickled from it onto the floor, where a pool of blood had formed.

Shaggy rooted in his pocket, and pulled out a bottle.

"Like, since we don't have smelling salts… I think Xtra-Strong Chilli Sauce will work as a substitute!"

He opened the bottle and knelt down on Daphne's other side. Chuck eyed the lanky teenager as Shaggy's long fingers unscrewed the lid.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Like, watch and learn, man."

Shaggy held the chilli sauce under Fred's nose, clicking his fingers at the same time and talking in a loud-ish voice.

"Like, come on, Freddy…"

Fred's eyelids flickered and his eyes focused on the chilli sauce bottle.

"Shag?" he croaked.

"Like, I knew he'd come round soon," Shaggy announced, sitting back on his haunches and looking at Fred with satisfaction.

"What happened, Freddy?"

Fred shook his head, then winced.

"That goon was here… I can't remember."

Daphne put her hand on his forehead and Fred sighed.

"I'm fine!"

Velma eyed Fred sceptically.

"No, you're not. Chuck, I think we need to get Freddy to the first-aid department."

Chuck nodded and grinned at Fred.

"I don't think there's any point protesting, sonny… They've made up their minds."


	10. Chapter 10

A couple of hours later and the gang were clustered around a first-aid bed, with a bandage on the cut on Fred's head and a couple more clues to discuss.

"Why are there man-traps in those passages and the room Freddy was trapped in?" Daphne asked, remembering the set man-traps in the passages. Velma frowned and Fred winced.

"Are you sure your head's OK?" Daphne asked, looking over at her boyfriend.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, I'm fine. Just… You know what man-traps do?"

Shaggy shook his head.

"They have huge iron jaws, deadly sharp, and if a leg goes into the trap it snaps shut immediately, often causing the victim to either lose their leg or bleed to death. They were used to catch poachers before they were made illegal."

"Like, man!"

"Rowch!"

"Like, ouch is right, Scoob!"

Velma broke up the banter. "Man-traps were made illegal, so what we're dealing with is someone breaking the law in a big way. Even owning one is enough to land you in prison, unless you're just a collector or something."

Daphne nodded. "This is getting bigger and bigger…"

The door suddenly opened and Jasmine French walked in, looking a little nervous.

"Chuck said you were in here… Are you OK, Freddy?"

She walked over, her blue eyes wide. Daphne's equally blue eyes narrowed as Jasmine smiled at Fred.

"Yeah, sure," Fred said, looking a little embarrassed now. He glanced round at his redheaded girlfriend, who looked as though she would like to push the actress bodily out of the door and lock it behind her. Fred grinned and turned back to Velma.

"Anything else that I missed?"

Velma nodded.

"The ghost of Drew Rossmann came back. As scary as ever. It tried to get us to leave you there, said you were lost for ever… It's probably feeling a little mad at us right now, because I think it was planning to keep you as a hostage until the movie stopped. Mr Ridley wouldn't have carried on with filming if you'd been missing, he would have to call in the police, and a delay is just what the ghost wants, so it has more time to formulate ways of stopping the film."

Jasmine looked aghast.

"But who's the next target? Alex?"

Velma shook her head.

"Unless I'm much mistaken, Jasmine, Alex is pretty safe."

Fred looked over at her, then his own mind reached the same conclusion and his eyes brightened a little. Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne all stared at Velma, their own faces showing confusion.

"Like, why is Alex safe?"

"You'll find out, guys. Now, all we need to do now is set a trap. Only our bait will have to change… We can't put you at risk, Jasmine. The ghost won't go for you again anyway. I guess the only way the trap will work is if we become extras for the day."

Daphne gave a little whoop, and then caught her boyfriend's eye.

"Come on, Freddy, it'll be fun!"

Velma nodded. "Actually, there's a good chance the ghost will go for Freddy, as he was meant to be the bait to get production stopped, plus he got hurt. Maybe we should wait until he's a little healthier to do the filming…"

Velma looked sideways at Fred, expecting him to protest and disagree completely. Instead he nodded.

"Yeah, you're right…"

Velma stared at him. Daphne put her hand on his arm.

"Freddy, are you sure you're alright?"

Shaggy grinned. "Like, I know what it is! He doesn't want to act!"

Fred made a movement as if to catch Shaggy by the front of his t-shirt, but Shaggy dodged away, laughing.

"Like, your secret's out, man!"

Fred groaned. "I want to catch this guy, but…" Suddenly inspiration struck and he put a hand up to the bandage on his forehead.

"Can't someone else? I've got a headache, maybe I should stay here." He gave the others a hopeful look.

Velma grinned and Daphne laughed. Jasmine rolled her elegant eyes.

"He's acting already! He'll be a natural on set."


	11. Chapter 11

A couple of hours later and the gang were made up as normal teenagers (which didn't need much help) for an off-set beach scene in which Ruby and Oz capture an elderly man and turn him into an Inferi, just so that Oz can prove to Ruby that she is now an Inferi Queen.

Fred ran his hand over his hair again, which had been flattened to cover the plaster on the cut.

"This feels funny…"

Daphne rolled her eyes at him.

"You look very cute, Freddy. Just leave it alone."

He gave his girlfriend a sideways look.

"Why are you commenting that I look "cute"?

She gave him a pinch and they both swung round as Mr Ridley yelled into the microphone.

"Places, everyone! Ready, Mystery Inc.?"

Fred swallowed hard and pressed against a sand dune, looking frightened.

"Uh, is it too late to back out now?"

Velma laughed and sat down on a beach towel with a book.

"Yup!"

Fred turned away from the camera and looked longingly towards the Mystery Machine, parked a little way away.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

"Aaaaaaand… ACTION!"

Jasmine and Alex walked across the beach together, with a camera panning on them. Jasmine passed right by Fred accidentally-on-purpose, who tried his best to look nonchalant. Daphne giggled and ran up behind him, pouring a bucket of water over him.

"Hey!" Fred gasped, turning round and grabbing Daphne by the arm. He tripped her with one leg and she fell into the sand, but took him with her. Velma looked over her book at them, Fred soaking wet and Daphne covered in sand. "At least he doesn't have to keep flattening his hair now," she giggled, going back to the book.

The elderly actor playing the old man turned into an Inferi walked past them, glancing at Fred and Daphne as they began fighting in the sand. "Kids," he muttered to the camera, and Shaggy and Scooby burst out laughing from next to Velma, where they had been given a pile of hot dogs to eat. The director gave the actor a thumbs-up for the remark and fought back laughter himself as he watched the light tussle start up between the pair of newly-commissioned extras.

Eventually Velma grabbed another bucket with water and flung it over the pair to stop the play fight. They both looked up at her, soaked and sandy.

"Who pulled your chain?" Fred complained, brushing his sodden hair out of his eyes. Daphne flicked a little water at Velma, also looking a little annoyed.

"Want to join in the fight, Velma?"

Velma laughed.

"There's about five more minutes, guys. And I want to stay reasonably dry."

Fred looked around for a towel, and picked up the one Velma had been lying on.

"Oi, Freddy! That's mine!"

"Well, you shouldn't have thrown a bucket of water over me, then!"

Velma rolled her eyes in defeat and lay on the sand instead.

"Freddy, is your head OK? I think I might have hit it, just let me check it…" Daphne put her hands up to her boyfriend's forehead, and he let her look at the cut, which was an angry red.

"I don't get why we had to do this on location, the ghost's more likely to attack back at the Monstrous Movies set…"

No sooner had he said this than a figure suddenly appeared on the beach as though he had popped up from the sand.

"I warned you… You should have stopped, and left my hostage… He would have been returned, unharmed, had you stopped…"

The thing turned and started to walk towards Mystery Inc. Fred stood up and brushed himself down quickly, trying to look like good bait.

"I will take him back, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Fred backed away, looking scared, flattening himself against the sand dune. His sopping t-shirt clung to his body, his hair over his eyes. It was hard to tell whether he was acting or not.

"NOW!" Velma yelled.

Without warning the man's legs buckled beneath him, and he found himself in a large net, suspended on a truck.

"Raargh! You should not have done that…"

The man felt in his pocket and bared a pistol, bringing it out with a dramatic flourish as if to show its danger to the most effect. Most of the crew gasped, some ran for it, and Jasmine screamed and flattened herself against Alex.

Fred reached back and grabbed a hose, turning it on and dousing the figure in the net with water. He dropped the gun, which fell tamely onto the sand. Velma walked forwards and picked it up.

"A trick pistol, but very lifelike. Good try… Nicholas Richman."

She reached up and pulled a mask off the man's face. It exposed a face which looked remarkably like Alex Richman's.

"Nick?"

Alex ran forwards, his face bewildered.

"Nicholas was jealous of his brother," Velma explained. "He wanted to stop _Inferi Beach _being filmed for that reason, and because he is a huge fan of Drew Rossmann."

"The greatest actor in history," snarled Nicholas.

"Nick never wanted to harm his brother, just to stop him acting. He had no qualms over hurting Jasmine- his brother's girlfriend- but he didn't want his brother hurt or even in any danger. He figured that kidnapping a member of the famous teenage sleuth gang would be a good idea, but he didn't reckon on Chuck finding his secret passage. Alex told me a while ago that his father has owned the same piece of land for generations- it used to be private land, so therefore Nicholas had access to man-traps, which he used to try and scare us away, as they were his only scary resource. Being a stagehand doesn't really pay that brilliantly. He also had access to his brother's script on a number of occasions- he tried using Oz's more famous lines in an attempt to make himself even more authentic.

"Nick tried to get a job as an actor on the set, but only became a stagehand. He hated that, and thought it would serve his brother and the director who rejected him right if he stopped the film being made. But his biggest motivation was that he did it in memory of Drew Rossmann."

Nicholas glared at Velma, and then pulled out two red contact lenses.

"Alex also mentioned that his red contacts had gone missing. Unless I'm much mistaken, Nicholas visited Alex in his trailer the night the contacts went missing, and picked them up to add extra authenticity to his outfit. His voice is also very similar to Alex's- that's why the ghost reminded me of Alex when I heard him speak."

Nicholas spat on the sand under the net. Alex walked forwards, his face easily as angry as Nicholas'.

"Nick, I thought you were my friend! You tried to hurt Jasmine! How could you? Just because of some stupid actor!"

"Drew Rossmann had ten times your talent, little bro! You are insignificant beside him! Plus, your doofus of a director wouldn't recognise talent if it hit him in the face! You are all rubbish, and this film is stupid!"

Velma smiled serenely at him.

"One more thing I needed to add… You trapped one of our members in an underground room after he fell into it by accident. You knew of our reputation. I went back to the room he was trapped in and found the lever for a secret room, containing all your memorabilia and the stuff you needed to pull this off, a few centimetres from where he was when we found him. Your solution for him not finding the room was to knock him out and disable the lever for a while, but you needed to use the room, so I found it after. I think we can add one count of malicious assault onto your list of crimes…"

Daphne glared at the young man in the net, who scowled at everyone around him. Fred also looked angry, his hair flicked out of his face and showing the large plaster over the cut.

"There was a piece of metal next to the lever in the dustbin recess where the entrance was, which was part of an electric mechanism to open the door when the lever was used. And the cut Freddy got when the "phantom" threw him against the wall was from a matching lever operating the same mechanism, which is a bit of leftover metal from the film. It's quite sharp, as Freddy found out, rather painfully."

For the first time, Nicholas looked a little sheepish.

"I- I never really meant to go _that _far…"

Alex glared at his brother, anger etched on every inch of his face.

"I thought you were better than this, Nick. I guess I was wrong."

Shaggy and Scooby released the net and allowed the young man to tumble to the ground and be collected by the guards on the set. As the security men took the sodden would-be phantom away, he turned and yelled back to the gang.

"And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Mr Ridley looked astonished as the young man was led away. Jasmine looked disgusted. Shaggy and Scooby looked relieved that the mystery was over, and started eating a few more of the hot dogs.

Daphne put her arms round Fred and they stood there for a second, pressed against each other, sodden after the wet fight. Then Jasmine broke the silence.

"Um, maybe we should get cleaned up and that-" she indicated the two dripping members of Mystery Inc. - "and then try and get that scene wrapped up? If you're OK, Alex," she added, looking back at the young actor. He nodded grimly, his eyes fixed on the back of his brother.

Mr Ridley smiled. "Actually, Freddy and Daphne, the little fight breaking out just as Jasmine walked by was a great addition, guaranteed to get a few laughs and a light mood just before an attack scene! Maybe we could reconstruct that…"

Fred looked horrified, but Daphne gasped, her face delighted.

"Of course, Mr Ridley, sir!"

Shaggy nudged Velma and pointed to the horror-struck look on Fred's face. They both started laughing, which was the last thing poor Fred felt like doing.

"Uh, Mr Ridley, have you got any other extras?"

Mr Ridley shook his head. "Come on, Fred, this is a chance hundreds of people would die for! And think about Nicholas!"

Fred groaned inwardly and Daphne pinched him lightly.

"Besides, Freddy, we should be rewarded for catching the phantom and saving the film! What better way to reward us than putting us in the film?"


	12. Chapter 12

Fourteen takes and several buckets of cold water later, and Fred and Daphne were shivering and wrapped in beach towels, waiting for the verdict on the latest take.

"Aaaaand… That's a wrap!"

Most members of the team started cheering loudly, and Daphne was one of them. Fred just pulled the beach towel a little closer and smiled.

The rest of the gang walked over to where Fred and Daphne were watching the take on a large screen, Chuck next to them. The large man was looking at the film, his eyes crinkled in a smile.

"You two are pretty darn good at acting!"

Fred groaned and carried on watching the screen. Velma stifled a laugh. Fred was his own greatest critic!

"Like, the fight was pretty good, guys," Shaggy teased, grinning as Fred threw him a dirty look. The lanky teenager focused on the screen, which was now on the old man with the gang in the background. The rest of the scene was yet to be completed, and would need CGI to get the desired effects. Jasmine glanced over at the gang and walked over to join them, her red hair flying around her face in a sudden wind.

"How do the newly-commissioned extras feel?"

"Cold!" Fred complained, and Jasmine laughed.

"We're going back to the set now… You guys look worse for wear!" she added, clocking the pair's soaked appearance.

The filming crew started packing up and leaving. The gang piled into the Mystery Machine and headed back to the set with the huge vans with "Monstrous Movies Co." on the sides and bonnets.

A police van containing Nicholas Richman was at the head of the procession back to the set, and once they were back at the building the police were treated to a little evidence from the gang. Velma showed them the secret tunnel, the man-traps (which were de-activated by a trained expert) and the room Fred was trapped in, complete with blood-stained floor. Nicholas had the grace to look a little guilty. Then his shrine to Drew Rossmann, the lever activating it (also blood-stained) and the trap door on the ceiling were viewed.

"This is a pretty elaborate set-up," one of the police officers commented.

Velma nodded. "Nicholas had it planned, right down to the last detail. He must have worked on this in secret for months to get it all done."

Nicholas looked over at her. "Actually, um, this was already here. The tunnels and that. I don't know much about it, I just found them when I was putting the candy machine prop away."

Shaggy and Scooby grimaced at the memory. The others looked confused.

"These were already here?"

There was a small cough from behind the gang, and everyone in the room turned at the sound. Mr Ridley was standing next to the wall, looking sheepish.

"I had this tunnel and the rooms in here built. There's another little room, over here…"

He turned around and pressed a flap. A section of the wall slid open, in classic film style, to reveal a room with an elaborate hippy theme- lava lamps, Flower Power wallpaper, swirl carpets and groovy style chairs, with an old-fashioned record player in one corner and a pile of vinyl records next to it, all with swirl covers. In one corner was a mannequin wearing a tie-dye t-shirt and baggy trousers, with a hippy headband, long hair and Roman-style sandals. Shaggy's eyes widened and he walked in, looking completely at ease., the complete opposite to Mr Ridley, who was fidgeting with his tie, more nervous than the gang had ever seen him.

"I… I always liked the hippy scene… I had this room built for myself, to keep all my hippy things in. I need to keep it a secret, though… Do you think you could do that?"

The gang looked at each other and laughed as Shaggy plumped himself down on one of the groovy-style sofas.

"I wouldn't worry about us, Mr Ridley," Velma giggled. "I would think about how you're going to get Shaggy out!"

_Although_, Shaggy reflected as he lay back a little further, _I am more of a beatnik, like, this is just, like, groovy for me, man!_

The gang laughed as Scooby walked over and joined Shaggy on the sofa, looking at ease as well. The police were laughing along with the gang; in fact, the only one who wasn't laughing was Mr Ridley.

"Don't worry, Mr Ridley," Daphne gasped, wiping her eyes and smudging her eye make-up a little in the process, "we won't tell anyone."

Mr Ridley looked happy and the gang let Shaggy stay a little longer before leaving.


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks later and the gang were leaving for Ohio.

Fred heaved the last suitcase into the back of the Mystery Machine and leaned against the cool metal of the door. Daphne slipped her hand into his and they stood there for a minute before getting into the van.

Velma glanced back towards the building. The trailers next to it gleamed in the sun, and the building itself was bright and cheery-looking with its red brick illuminated to a gorgeous colour. The various vehicles parked outside were shimmering slightly, and she caught herself thinking about air particles vibrating and causing the shimmer.

_Stop it! _she thought, grinning, and forced herself to think about Nicholas Richman instead.

The young man had been sentenced to five years in prison for trying to disrupt the film and, as Velma had predicted, one count of malicious assault. Alex hadn't gone to the hearing, making the excuse that his filming schedule wouldn't allow it, but Velma knew that he'd simply been staying in his trailer. He was still a little in shock about the whole thing, especially the part where Nicholas had tried to hurt Jasmine and had very nearly succeeded in badly injuring her. Alex was still fuming over the incident, and showed no sign of forgiving his brother yet.

_Inferi Beach _was due for release in cinemas in a few weeks, and the members of the gang (even Scooby) each had a complimentary copy on DVD, signed by Jasmine French and Alex Richman. They had insisted on it, since if it hadn't been for the gang, there was a good chance that the film wouldn't have been made.

Jasmine also added, grinning, that the DVDs were pre-set to show a certain scene first.

The young actress herself suddenly appeared as the gang were about to set off, wearing denim shorts and a crop-top which showed a slither of flat tanned stomach.

"Guys, guys! Before you go…"

She had a twinkle in her eye, and Velma glanced at Daphne, who was beaming at Jasmine. Fred winked at the actress (Daphne's smile faltered and she moved sideways to tread on Fred's foot again, only gently this time) and she walked forwards and took Velma by the arm.

"You know what day it is, don't you, Velma?"

"Uh…"

Jasmine laughed and pulled down the canvas side of the lorry next to the Mystery Machine. Inside were most of the crew, including Alex, Mr Ridley (wearing the hippy bandana from his private room and looking very charming) and Chuck, who had put on clean-ish jeans and a checked shirt with only a small oil stain on it.

Above them was a banner saying: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VELMA DINKLEY!

Velma's cheeks flushed bright red, but her mouth, ignoring the stern commands from her brain, curved into a huge smile.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR VELMA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

Jasmine gave Velma a huge hug as the crew cheered and threw confetti over the young girl.

"We figured that, since you helped us with the mystery and saved _Inferi Beach _from being abandoned, the least we could do was give you a very special birthday party before you left! Your friends had the idea, and then I persuaded everyone else to set it up."

Velma's smile increased and she hugged Jasmine back, then Jasmine released her and she ran into a group hug with the gang.

"Aww… guys…"

"What, don't we get a hug, Velma?" teased Chuck.

Velma glared at him, but her smile gave her away. Chuck leapt out of the lorry and picked Velma up easily, laughing.

"You're just a little pipsqueak!" he laughed. Velma tried to look annoyed, but her mouth was still stubbornly ignoring her brain and was still curved into a huge beam worthy of a Cheshire cat.

Eventually, the large man put her down and various members of the crew walked forwards to shake her hand and wish her a happy birthday. The girls Jasmine was friends with threw a little more confetti over her (and themselves, and anybody else who was close by) and a birthday buffet was served behind the lorry.

Eventually, stuffed with food and with what was left of the huge birthday cake in the back of the Mystery Machine, the gang left the car park to waves and cheers from the entire crew and headed onto the freeway, starting the four-hour trip back to Ohio.

Daphne reached over as they went through the arch proclaiming the entrance to the Monstrous Movies set and picked a flake of yellow confetti out of Fred's hair.

"It's yellow; I guess it blended in perfectly!" Velma grinned. Daphne pushed up a little section of Fred's fringe to check the cut, which was unfortunately still there, as he flipped the indicator on.

"Daphne," Fred complained, pulling away. "Quit fussing!"

Then his eyes wandered to the rear-view mirror, and he grinned.

"Were you planning on having any more of that birthday cake, Velma?"

"Yeah, once we got back home," Velma replied, confused. "Why?"

"Ask the guys."

"Shaggy… Scooby…"

Two loud burps were issued from the back of the van.

"Like, that was good, right, Scoob?"

"Reah! Rirthray rake!"

"BIRTHDAY CAKE?!"

Velma glared at them, but slowly her glare turned to a smile, which turned to a giggle, which turned to a laugh. Soon the whole gang was laughing with her as Shaggy and Scooby grinned sheepishly.

"Like, sorry, Velms…"

Velma leaned back and pinched Shaggy lightly on the arm.

"Next time we go to a movie set, save the film from a fake ghost, and have a massive party for my birthday just prior to leaving, remind me to hide the cake somewhere other than the back of the van with the chewsome twosome!"

The gang laughed again and Scooby grinned.

"Rooby-rooby-roo!"

THE END


End file.
